Israel’s Netanyahu says will fight any sanctions on army battalions
- The US appears close to sanctioning Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion over alleged human rights violations
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says will ‘fight it with all my strength’ attempts to sanction units
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would fight against sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units for alleged rights violations, after media reports said Washington was planning such a step.
Axios news site on Saturday reported that Washington was planning to impose sanctions on Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, which has operated in the occupied West Bank, though the Israeli military said it was not aware of any such measures.
On Friday, the United States announced a series of sanctions linked to Israeli settlers in the West Bank, in the latest sign of growing US frustration with the policies of Netanyahu, whose coalition government relies on settler parties.
“If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) - I will fight it with all my strength,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday.
Netanyahu has clashed repeatedly with President Joe Biden’s administration over its pressure to do more to protect civilians and work toward a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
He praised the US House passing a US$26 billion aid bill for Israel on Saturday that includes both support for missile defenses and humanitarian help in Gaza, saying on X that it shows “strong bipartisan support for Israel”.
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Blacklisting the Netzah Yehuda battalion would prohibit it from receiving US military equipment or training.
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, a centrist former armed forces chief, said in a statement on Sunday that he spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and asked him to reconsider the matter.
The State Department said Blinken spoke with Gantz and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant about Israel’s security, efforts to ensure the conflict in Gaza does not spread and the need for an immediate ceasefire and increased flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. The US statements did not mention sanctions.
Gantz said any such sanctions would be a mistake because they would harm Israel’s legitimacy during a time of war and that they were unjustified because Israel has an independent justice system and a military that keeps international law.
He urged Washington “to withdraw its intention to impose sanctions” on the battalion.
Blinken on Friday said he had made “determinations” regarding accusations that Israel violated a set of US laws that prohibit providing military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights.
Two US officials familiar with the situation said a US announcement could come as soon as Monday.
Earlier last week, the Pro Publica investigative news organisation reported that a special State Department panel known as the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum had recommended months ago to Blinken that multiple Israeli military and police units be disqualified from receiving US aid, after allegations of human rights violations.
The incidents that were the subject of allegations took place in the West Bank and mostly occurred before Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza began on October 7, the outlet said.
Before the Gaza war, violence had already been on the rise in the West Bank, land that the Palestinians seek for a state, and it has risen since with frequent Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and settler rampages in Palestinian villages.
The Israeli military said the Netzah Yehuda battalion is an active combat unit that operates according to the principles of international law.
“Following publications about sanctions against the battalion, the IDF is not aware of the issue,” the military said. “If a decision is made on the matter it will be reviewed. The IDF works and will continue to work to investigate any unusual event in a practical manner and according to law.”
In 2022, Netzah Yehuda’s battalion commander was reprimanded and two officers were dismissed over the death of an elderly Palestinian-American whom the unit’s soldiers had detained in the West Bank, an incident that stirred concern in Washington.
There have been several other incidents in recent years, some captured on video, in which Netzah Yehuda soldiers were accused of or charged with abusing Palestinian detainees.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg and Associated Press
